The Tema Metropolitan Assembly (TMA) has warned residents against the unauthorised felling of trees in the metropolis, saying the trees play a critical role in protecting residents from the environmental effects of the city’s industrial and port activities.

Madam Ebi Bright, Tema Metropolitan Chief Executive, said the assembly recently encountered a site at the Meridian Enclave where at least 10 trees had been felled without a permit or any engagement with the assembly.

Madam Bright described the activity as criminal, saying that it formed part of a broader challenge of lawlessness and disregard for the city’s environmental and regulatory systems.

She explained that trees were deliberately planted across various spaces in Tema because of the city’s status as a major port and industrial centre, with relatively high concentrations of carbon emissions.

“These are the things that make sure that we are safe. When you remove them, essentially what you are doing is cutting our lives short,” she said.

She added that the trees were not planted merely for beautification but served important environmental functions, including helping to clean the air, regulate temperatures, and improve the environmental conditions of the metropolis.

The MCE said the unauthorised felling of trees was therefore a matter of public concern, particularly in a city where industrial and port-related activities contributed to environmental pressures.

She made the remarks when she led a team to inspect a site within the Meridian enclave where trees have been felled illegally by an unknown developer.

She said the assembly was confronted with several unauthorised activities across the city, making enforcement difficult because of the frequency and scale of such activities.

According to her, the situation required residents, businesses and other stakeholders to understand the city’s regulatory and environmental management systems and cooperate with the assembly.

She said people undertaking developments or activities that could affect public spaces and the environment must engage the assembly and obtain the necessary permits.

Madam Bright stated that the city’s environmental challenges extended beyond unauthorised structures and tree felling to the degradation of drainage and sewer networks.

She said unregulated development had, in several instances, compromised public utility infrastructure and created environmental and sanitation challenges for communities.

The MCE appealed to residents to desist from activities that undermined the city’s environmental integrity and to work with the assembly to protect Tema’s natural and public assets.